Chapter 14 · Ms. Z Unmasked

The industry gala was Zaia's idea.

Elena had connections. Silverfang sponsored the event—a gathering of design and tech leaders, humans and wolves mingling under the guise of corporate networking. Zaia had attended twice as Ms. Z, face obscured by strategic lighting and a reputation for avoiding cameras.

This time, she would stand in the light.

"You sure about this?" Priya asked, adjusting Zaia's dress—a sleek black gown that hugged her curves, professional and devastating. "Blackwood always sends a team."

"I'm sure." Zaia checked her reflection. Leo and Milo were with her mother for the night. The boys were safe. "If Sebastian wants to find Ms. Z, let him find her."

The gala was held at the Millbrook Convention Center—ironic, Zaia thought, that she'd built her empire in the same town she'd fled to, that he'd eventually traced her here. She walked the red carpet. She posed for photos. She let the cameras capture her face.

She was no longer hiding.

Sebastian arrived at nine p.m.

He walked through the crowd like a shark through water—parting bodies, commanding attention, Celeste on his arm in a gown that cost more than Zaia's first year of rent.